The Twelfth Doctor Is…

Yes Whovians, the Twelfth Doctor for Doctor Who has been announced in a 30-minute special on BBC One hosted by Zoe Ball, and it’s none other than The Thick of It’s Peter Capaldi!

Capaldi is set to take over from current Eleventh Doctor Matt Smith this Christmas, and the In The Loop actor had already led the bets on who would play the next incarnation of the iconic role.

The actor is no stranger to Doctor Who, having previously played the character Caecilius in the series 4 episode The Fires of Pompeii. Of course, this isn’t the first instance of Doctor Who pulling from its alumni – one interesting example being Karen Gillan, who also appeared in this episode before later becoming companion Amy Pond – and Capaldi is an inspired choice for the role.

Peter Capaldi will bring yet another new flavour into the show, with show runner Steven Moffat describing him as, “Different from Matt” when asked to describe the new Doctor in three words. Capaldi most certainly has the ability to continue the comedic chops of the Doctor, but the idea of an older Doctor could potentially bring forward new angles hopefully different from other Doctors, but also remaining decidedly the same.

One can only speculate at the moment, but what is definite is that this news is exciting, especially for some Whovians who will have Capaldi as their first regeneration. It’ll certainly be an experience to look out for, and while one can look back at Matt Smith and be saddened by his departure, one can also look forward to see the new lease of life that Capaldi will bring to future series of the show.

Bring on December. After a no doubt amazing 50th Anniversary Special, as well as an awesome Christmas Special to come, Matt Smith regenerating into Peter Capaldi is certainly going to blow the roof off of Doctor Who. But preferably not the TARDIS… David Tennant’s regeneration into Smith almost did that…